The 3rd Big CLIC Weekender

Posted by CrazyDistortion from Rhondda Cynon Taff - Published on 01/09/2010 at 10:59
11 comments » - Tagged as Creative Writing, People

Yn Gymraeg

... aka, Foot In Mouth Disease

Over the Bank Holiday weekend, I was at Pembroke Dock (that's in Pembrokeshire, fact fans).

Why? Because it was happy days with the people from CLIC and the other sites like theSprout, Swoosh and Young Flintshire.

Well, other people went too, from counties that have no site yet, but since they have no site yet I cannot name them here. Ah, well. [Don't forget the soon to arrive Defaid site in Anglesey! - national ed]

But yeah, young people from all over Wales collected in Pembroke Dock to have a residential. This was my third one, the first one being up in North Wales, where some people from Newport decided they didn't like me for some reason. The second was in Cardiff Bay, where I was punished with cups. But this was a weird one.

To be fair, I realised my insanity would take over the moment I got out of my father's car to get on the CLIC bus, with one of the people who tormented me with the cups of dread from Cardiff Bay showing me that she brought a cup to this one. Joy. Not only that, an 11-year-old girl (I think that's her age) attacked me as we were waiting to pick some other people up.

Yes. I got attacked. By a young girl. With plastic forks. Happy days.

But, we arrived safely at the place. Nice place it was too, to be fair. Can't remember if it rained at all during the weekend. Hmm.

Nothing really happened on that Friday, other than the dreaded icebreakers. I'll be honest, I don't understand icebreakers. I can't really describe some of the icebreakers, or how they made everyone look like they were attending a mental institute (no offence intended to people who have any sort of experience with mental institutes).

I managed to get Love Machine (a song by Girl's Aloud) in some people's heads by overplaying it on my bass, but come on, nobody can tell me that song has no groove.

On the Saturday, we actually got into the whole 'doing stuff for CLIC', which went all right. As always, I remained quiet during most of it, listening to the more confident people of the group and what they had to say.

The music activity didn't go well though (well, for me anyways), as I took my bass and I had no idea what to do over the chords Paul (a guy from Anglesey) played (damn you, capos). But, I figured out what he was playing and just played the bass notes with the odd fill. That's the joys of the bassist, eh?

Oh, and how could I forget the whole CLIC's Got Talent? Well, I did, and I only just remembered about it now. On the Saturday night, when the sun decided to visit our American friends, some people showed off their talents, ranging from dancing to singing. Hang on, I just realised that was it. Just singing and dancing. But yeah, on the whole that wasn't bad. At least I missed this week's X Factor. Man, that is a diabolical excuse of a show.

So, why have I named this article Foot In Mouth Disease? Well, basically, y'know that young girl who attacked me on the bus on the way to the place with forks? Well on that Saturday she decided to attack me again. This time with her feet.

Well, most of the time she was jumping on me and Elin (the cup tormentor from Cardiff), but other times she was massaging my face with her feet. But I think we got away with only experiencing a little of that girl's evilness, as she was off attacking Dan (the sub-editor of theSprout) most of the time.

But yeah, it was an all right residential, to be fair. Also met someone else who is off to The Atrium too this year. Woop.

Roll on the next one, eh?

National ed's note: If our cool cat Crazy Distortion Sub-Editor says "it was all right," you can guarantee it was ace, and rest assured that plastic fork attacks by 11-year-olds are of the friendliest kind, and kept to a minimum!

Fancy joining us on the next residential? Email Kathryn Allen: kath@promo-cymru.org or call 029 2046 2222.

We stayed at the Pembrokeshire Adventure Centre, which has stunning views over the River Cleddau.